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David Hill wants his city center clothing store Elgin Vintage to not only offer buyers a new shopping option, but also raise awareness of how textiles impact the environment.
“I have always been very environmentally conscious in my life,” the 23-year-old Elgin resident said. Combining his advocacy for the planet with “my work is really cool. It’s happened in the best way possible.”
Hill established his shop by opening pop-up versions of Elgin Vintage for the past two summers before setting down roots at 23 S. Spring St. He sells clothing and accessories he previously owned; T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, jeans, bags, sunglasses and other items are sold at prices ranging from $20 to $30 to keep them affordable, he said.
Beyond finding a home for clothes that still have use, the goal is to keep clothes out of landfills. Textiles are a forgotten waste, said Hill, who graduated from Eureka College in December with a degree in environmental studies.
“Nobody thinks about throwing away clothes,” he said.
Americans throw away approximately 10 million tons of textiles each year, accounting for approximately 6% of all landfill waste (plastics account for 13%). According to greenamerica.org. The nonprofit says these are materials that can be reused or recycled for other purposes by other people here and in other countries.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report, only 13% of discarded textiles are recycled, according to the American Textile Recycling Service. Data shows that materials can take up to 200 years to decompose once they enter a landfill.
Hill said there’s a big problem with the term “fast fashion,” which is used to describe how big companies are “introducing hundreds of new styles.” “They produce (clothes) in places where they can underpay workers and buy materials that are not good and will fall apart very cheaply. “You wear it two or three times and then it gets thrown away.”
“That’s what I’m trying to fight against,” Hill said.
He said millennials and Gen Z are more aware of this type of waste, and it’s something he’s trying to capitalize on and expand.
“I think this has been passed on to our generation. If we don’t do something, (the damage) will be irreversible,” Hill said.
He started selling shoes during his high school years. He then started thrifting, he said, inspired by YouTube videos of people going into thrift stores and finding cool clothes.
The idea for Elgin Vintage actually started in 2019, when I was a student at Elgin Community College. The business took off during the COVID-19 pandemic and spread through word of mouth and social media while he was studying at Eureka College.
“Finally, I gathered enough courage to host an in-person event,” Hill said. “It grew and grew and I gained a following.”
Elgin Vintage items are carefully selected — it’s not a second-hand store, he says — and he buys and trades them himself. He likes that the business is both environmentally friendly and trendy.
“So I started saving, because I didn’t have a lot of money in high school and I wanted to have some style,” Hill said.
He loves the 1970s t-shirts, which are plentiful in the store right now.
Hill said he’s grateful for the support he’s received from customers, friends and family and is ready to be a part of businesses that help “bring back downtown Elgin.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
